Snakes, Lions and Toads
by moreofaguestage
Summary: While at the zoo with Teddy Harry realizes he no longer has a certain ability


It took Harry almost a decade to realize he could no longer talk to snakes. About a month before James was born he took Teddy, his godson out for a day, just the two of them. Teddy, who attended a muggle primary school down the road from Andromeda's house had chosen the activity. He wanted to go to a muggle zoo. He explained that at school they had learned all about different animals and that now he wanted to see them. Harry grinned and was happy to oblige.

Teddy was bursting with excitement when Harry picked him up, talking about the lions and pandas and birds and what different animals ate and where they lived. Harry gave up trying to follow his godson's words and instead concentrated on driving, a muggle skill he was still getting used to.

No sooner than they had parked Teddy grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him in, running towards the lion enclosure.

"Look!" Exclaimed Teddy, "That's the boy lion, see it's got a mane, the girl lions don't. My teacher said the girls do all the hunting and the boy lions just sleep but the boy's still in charge which seems a little unfair...but boys are better than girls, right Harry?"

Harry smiled, "girls are alright too mate, what about Ginny, or Victoire?" Teddy screwed up his face at this and said, "well, I like Ginny but she's not really a girl, is she, she knows too much about Quidditch and Vicky's alright, except the other day she got mad at me cos I showed her a toad I caught in the stream."

"Yea, well that toad was a bit slimy and Vic's never been one to get dirty," Harry replied, thinking privately that he hadn't wanted that toad near him much either.

"True..." Teddy thought for a moment, obviously still not impressed with Victoire's opinion on toads.

The two spent the day walking around, Harry listened to Teddy's facts and stories about school and he didn't even realize as the small boy led him into the reptile enclosure.

Harry looked around, Teddy seemed fixated by the giant frog catching flies in his glass case so he wandered over to a large snake which reminded him of the one he had set on Dudley so long ago. A soft hissing emanated from the snake and it took Harry a moment to realize what it was, it was hissing, a sound Harry had never heard before. He couldn't understand what the snake was saying.

Shocked, he rubbed his scar, putting the pieces together it made sense, it was the part of Voldemort's soul that allowed him to understand parseltongue, not his own so why wouldn't it have left him that night in the Forbidden Forest?

"Harry! Harry!" Teddy was calling out for him, obviously keen to continue on their wanderings around the zoo. He let the boy lead him out again, pushing this discovery out of his head.

Around dinner time he dropped a tired Teddy home, waving goodbye he pulled out and drove home.

When he arrived Ginny was on the couch dozing, her tshirt had ridden up to reveal her large belly. Harry bent down and kissed her on the forehead, she opened her eyes and smiled, "how was the zoo?"

"Great! Teddy loved it...you know how I could talk to snakes?"

"Smooth subject change, Potter," Ginny said, moving herself into a sitting position and pulling down her shirt. "but yea, I remember"

"Well I can't anymore, I mean it makes sense, the bit of Riddle in me would've been the reason and that's gone but I just never realized because well, how often is someone around a snake?"

Ginny studied her husband for a moment and finally asked, "you don't miss it though, do you?"

"No, Harry said immediately, No it was entirely unpleasant...creepy really. I'm glad, it's nice knowing that every single bit of him's left me."

Ginny smiled and kissed his lips softly, not to silence him but rather to show she understood all the things he couldn't voice. Harry returned the kiss, moving onto the couch and wrapping his arms around Ginny.

"mmm" Ginny sighed as she broke away, her forehead still resting on his. "So Teddy enjoyed the zoo then?"

"Oh yea, he's really into animals that kid. Had a story for every one."

She watched as Harry's hands spread over her stomach, feeling for little James or Lily.

"Do you think it's a phase or do you think all kids like stuff like that?" He asked Ginny, wondering if he would get to see his own son or daughter light up the way Teddy did today.

"I've no idea, I guess we all had pets and things growing up, and there were always chickens and things at The Burrow...Charlie was probably the only one really taken with them though, she added as an after thought."

Harry guided Ginny's head into his lap and ran his fingers over her abdomen considering soon to be born child. What would they like, he wondered. Would they be bookish like Hermione? Quidditch obsessed like their uncles were or would their interests lie further afield?

They lay together for awhile, wrapped in their own thoughts. Harry considered the snake again. Maybe it was fate that they ended up at the zoo today because lying here with his wife, contemplating their new child he couldn't be happier knowing every last vestige of Voldemort had left him for good.


End file.
